& Then There Was The In-Laws...

Each and every Holiday that rolls around seems to always leave me and my family in the mud. For some reason the In-Laws think that the Holidays are just for them, and no one else. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, etc...it's all about them. I'm not sure if they forget the fact that I have a family too, or if they just don't care.

Yesterday, I had suggested that we go down to Columbia to visit Paul's Grandmother since we hadn't seen her since Christmas. I didn't think it was a bad idea, and figured we would be home in time to cookout with my family that night. As Paul was relaying this information to his Dad, his Dad said, "When are you going to pick up Matthew?" He didn't ask, "Can you pick up Matt and take him down to Columbia with you?" He automatically signed us up for taking Matthew to Columbia without even asking. This got me blood boiling first. The next question was, "What car are you taking?" We generally take my car, because it's a Honda Civic and gets more gas milage than Paul's Toyota 4 Runner does. When Paul told them that we would be taking my car, Paul's Dad whipped out a 20 dollar bill and said, "Put gas in your car and take it." This was the second thing that got my blood boiling. He dictated which car we were going to take. I am still waiting on the moment when Paul looks at his Dad and just simple says, "No.", because I am tired of getting pulled around by his Dad and doing what his DAD wants us to do.

We got down to Columbia, ate, and then around 5:30 got a phone call from his Dad making sure that we were leaving. He had tickets to a baseball game that he wanted us to go to with him. What about spending time with my family? It pissed him off to even mention the fact that I wanted to spend time with my family. By the time we got back home from Columbia it was 7:30, and the baseball game started at 7. I knew that by the time we got to Downtown Greenville, the game would be over. You should have seen his Dad running around like a freakin' mad man. You don't cross this man when he's this "uptight", and I was so tired, I didn't feel like causing a big deal. So, I kept my mouth shut and went to the baseball game.

I didn't get to see my Parent's once during the 4th of July, and when I got home last night...I was very upset. I used to love Holidays; fun times with family. Not anymore. I hate them. It's so hard having to split time between my family, Paul's Mom, and Paul's Dad. By the way, his Parent's are divorced, so that makes thing just that much harder. I still have a headache today. One that formed last night while Paul and his Dad fought this whole way to the baseball game, and back from the baseball game. I swear to God, I could have opened the door of the car as we sped down the interstate, jumped out...and they seriously would not have noticed.

So, how do I fix this problem? I do have a say in it too don't I? Why should my family get shafted each and every Holiday that rolls around? I guess I should put my foot down for real next time, and not care if I cause any more controversy. I try to split time evenly, but somehow the In-Laws come out on top.

I hope everyone's Holiday was better than mine. I did have a bit of a Patriotic moment. Watching fireworks over a baseball field (the American Sport), made me feel very American and very proud to be an American.

Happy 4th!

Just wishing you guys all a very happy and safe 4th of July. Thanks to all of our troops, past, present, and future, for everything you have done, are doing, and will do.

REMEMBER: Lit fireworks DO NOT belong in your pants!

Have fun!

Personal Trainer?

If I mentioned to my family or friends that I wanted to get a personal trainer to help me get off these last 5 pounds, they would think I'm crazy. Over the past few months, I've dropped a fast ten pounds, but I'm ready to go ahead and get rid of these last five. I've switched my exercise routine to 3 days a week, but somehow I think that working out makes me even more self-conscious about my body. Why? I guess because if I am going to sweating, and working hard at losing weight...I wanna see results, immediately! I know it doesn't work that way, but that's how mind think.

I am fighting against genetics though. There is not a woman in my family who has a flat tummy. Most of us are a little curvy, and although we may have a skinny waist, we have pooch that makes us look heavier. I've always had this pooch, and I can't seem to get rid of it, no matter how hard I've been working at it. This just makes me want to work that much harder against it. Am I chasing an impossible task? I wish that I could just be happy with my body and how far I've come. I have come a long way, but for some reason, it's never good enough. I don't know why. I don't want it to be that way. A year ago, I would have been more than thrilled to have a thin tummy like I do now, but now that I have it...it's not good enough. I think I can do better.

I think maybe it's become an illness for me. I'm obsessed with getting a flat tummy, and that's why I thought today about getting a personal trainer. Maybe it's something I'll do. I'm not sure. Maybe I could just learn to love my curves and my little pooch. Sorry to be griping, but I am having a fat day, and what do you do on fat days? You bitch and moan. That's what I'm doing.

On another note, I hope you all have a safe and Happy 4th of July weekend! Make sure your kids aren't sticking fireworks down their pants =)

Random Blabbing Thursday

I don't really have anything specific to write about today, so I decided to deem Thursdays, "Random Blabbing Thursday". Most Thursday's I don't have much to talk about anyway. So, enjoy my randomness, also known as my mind...

Last night I dreamed about Governor Sanford. Let's just say I was Argentinian, and the only one not angry with him.

Bree climbed up on the potty with an issue of US Weekly. Kate Gosselin was on the front. Even my 2 year old is concernced about Jon & Kate + 8 and their fate...

I get all excited when I see I have more "followers" on Twitter. Then, when I click to see who it is...it's some chick wanting me to click on her link to see "hot, sexy pictures of her". When will Ryan Seacrest decide to follow me? Pete Wentz? Anderson Cooper??

What's the point in pulling your clothes off of the hanger without removing the hanger first. Paul just pulls a shirt off of the hanger which in return causes the hanger to get stuck and makes it that much more difficult to remove it from the rod and put another shirt on it.

Do people use turn signals anymore?

Paul won't watch Judge Judy or Wife Swap with me, because the "drama" drives him crazy. Yet, he can watch movies where gang members blow each other up. Weird.

Bree finished her breakfast yesterday morning, and put her bowl in the dishwasher without me having to ask. Such a sweet, little big girl!

I have fruit flies in my kitchen. I can't decide if I want to live with them for 3 weeks and make the mean Maintenance Guy deal with it, or just go ahead and get rid of them myself.

I've concluded that I just don't like anyone. I can't help it.

And that concludes "Random Blabbing Thursday". Now leave your Random comments =)

"I Love You"

It happened tonight. Bree and I were doing our nightly ritual of snuggling on the couch, and eating Golden Grahams. She happened to notice the print on my shirt, which is a Chick-Fil-A cow with sunglasses and a shopping bag. As she pointed to the things on my shirt, I told her what each thing was. Then, she looked up at me with her big, brown eyes and in the sweetest little voice she said, "I love you."

Tears immediately filled my eyes, and I said, "I love you too" back as I grabbed her up in a hug and kissed her little chunky cheeks. It's not that I didn't know that she loved me, it's just the first time I have actually heard those words come out of her mouth. She isn't quiet two years old yet, but she is beginning to put words together. Needless to say, I was shocked, filled with an overwhelming since of joy, and my heart was immediately warmed. She made me fall in love with her all over again. She let me know that she loved me, and appreciated me in the simplest form. Sometimes, that's all I need, is for someone to look at me and just tell me they love me.

I think that as we get older, our minds get too complex. A child's mind is simple, and I think that's the way God intended our minds to be. Just simple. Instead, we fill it with so much stuff. Worry, stress, confusion, what-ifs, etc... Sometimes I wish that I could be Bree. Just so I don't have to worry about things. She doesn't have a thing in the world to worry about, and that's the way God wanted our lives to be like. She is completely dependent on me to fulfill her needs, and that's good enough for her. So, if that's good enough for a child to trust her mother, why isn't it good enough for us to trust God so that we don't have to worry? What keeps us from saying, "God, I love you and I trust you."? Our flesh? Yes. It's us, the person we became as we grew up. The complex mind we developed over the years. The day we gave away our child like minds, is the day we stopped having faith. What can I do to keep this from happening to Bree? I want her to know, and to understand. I don't want her to ever have to worry about a thing. The day she starts to worry about things, is the day she stops being so happy and carefree. I think that will pain me to see that. It pains me to think about it. Why can't we be children forever?